A COACHING masterstroke from Des Hasler and an inspired performance from prop James Graham was all it took for Canterbury to get over the top of competition leaders Manly.

Whoever said rugby league was hard?

Reni Maitua of the Bulldogs is tackled just short of the try line.Source:Getty Images

Yes, it really was that simple. Like fishing for piranha in the Amazon with a tablespoon.

Just a month after meeting at Brookvale Oval, a comprehensive 32-10 win to the Sea Eagles, both sides met again on Friday night to see what they had learned in a month.

For the Dogs, it was plenty.

Sam Kasiano of the Bulldogs looks to offload.Source:Getty Images

While Manly was without halfback Daly Cherry-Evans (Origin), Anthony Watmough (suspension) and Glenn Stewart (injury), the Bulldogs were without Origin halves Trent Hodkinson and Josh Reynolds and centre Josh Morris.

Given the shortfall in troops, and last month’s result, the Bulldogs intentions were made clear before kick-off.

James Graham of the Bulldogs is tackled.Source:Getty Images

Coach Des Hasler shifted Michael Ennis from halfback back to hooker and named, as the new halfback, none other than Tony Williams.

As in the 192cm, 120kg Tony Williams. Otherwise known as the world’s biggest man. a wrecking ball of significant proportions.

Rather than some inspired positional play, though, Hasler was making the Bulldogs’ intentions clear.

Sam Kasiano is taken into touch.Source:Getty Images

Forget subtleties, the Bulldogs were playing smashmouth football.

“We just played around with it a little bit,” Hasler said.

“I’m pretty pleased to get the points tonight. Given the fact, going into this game, the circumstances, I’m pretty proud of their efforts.

“Particularly with the competition the way it is.”

Sam Kasiano on the charge.Source:News Corp Australia

The Bulldogs dropped all pretence of a finesse game to go through the Sea Eagles. They started with six forwards and no first receiver.

And it lived up to its billing.

While the eventual 23-16 scoreline indicated a significant break for the Bulldogs, courtesy of a late Michael Ennis field goal followed an Ennis try that should never have been awarded, it was tough and brutal all the way.

Mitch Brown of the Bulldogs is tackled.Source:Getty Images

“In those sorts of games sometimes,” Ennis said after, “the simplest sets are the best ones.

“When you’ve got the six of some of the blokes that we’ve got in our pack there, they can get you down field, and again I thought they did a really good job.

“Especially at the back end of the game.”

But it was brutal all the way.

Clinton Gutherson of the Eagles dives to score a try.Source:Getty Images

Early on Peta Hiku went down holding a shoulder, Josh Starling got whacked from a kick-off and got up sucking in the big ones.

Then Brenton Lawrence got hit and, like Starling, got up a little worse than when he went down.

By now Aiden Tolmen was already sidelined, icing a recurrence of his hamstring injury and gone for the game, leaving the Dogs with 16 men after just six minutes.

Given the, at times, savage defence, the first two tries were almost anomalies.

James Graham of the Bulldogs dives over to score a try.Source:Getty Images

Dunamis Lui opened the scoring for Manly with a simple hit-up one off the ruck to an isolated James Graham.

With Graham’s outside defender abandoning him Lui just punched through, scoring near the posts to give the Sea Eagles a simple 6-0 lead.

The Dogs soon came back, though.

In almost identical circumstances Graham, this time, punched through one-off the ruck and ran through Jason King as King’s outside defender, Jamie Buhrer, also turned out abandoning his man.

But the subtlety of Canterbury’s big men was the key.

Tony Williams in action.Source:News Corp Australia

Earlier in the set Graham had run a similar play, this time finding support with a nice short ball that clearly stayed in Manly’s memory.

This time Graham simply shaped and went himself.

It was brilliant in its subtle variation.

“He’s a special player,” Ennis said.

“A very, very special player. And a special bloke. I haven’t played with many better forwards.”

Both sides went try for try, until Ennis kicked his field goal in the 74th minute to nudge the Bulldogs ahead.